Finding a business that has the potential to grow substantially is not easy, but it is possible if we look at a few key financial metrics. Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base of capital employed. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. Although, when we looked at Shenzhen Expressway (HKG:548), it didn't seem to tick all of these boxes.

What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

Just to clarify if you're unsure, ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. The formula for this calculation on Shenzhen Expressway is:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.054 = CN¥2.6b ÷ (CN¥67b - CN¥20b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2024).

So, Shenzhen Expressway has an ROCE of 5.4%. In absolute terms, that's a low return but it's around the Infrastructure industry average of 6.0%.

In the above chart we have measured Shenzhen Expressway's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free analyst report for Shenzhen Expressway .

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

The trend of ROCE doesn't look fantastic because it's fallen from 7.4% five years ago, while the business's capital employed increased by 36%. However, some of the increase in capital employed could be attributed to the recent capital raising that's been completed prior to their latest reporting period, so keep that in mind when looking at the ROCE decrease. It's unlikely that all of the funds raised have been put to work yet, so as a consequence Shenzhen Expressway might not have received a full period of earnings contribution from it. It's also worth noting the company's latest EBIT figure is within 10% of the previous year, so it's fair to assign the ROCE drop largely to the capital raise.

On a side note, Shenzhen Expressway's current liabilities have increased over the last five years to 29% of total assets, effectively distorting the ROCE to some degree. Without this increase, it's likely that ROCE would be even lower than 5.4%. Keep an eye on this ratio, because the business could encounter some new risks if this metric gets too high.

What We Can Learn From Shenzhen Expressway's ROCE

To conclude, we've found that Shenzhen Expressway is reinvesting in the business, but returns have been falling. And investors may be recognizing these trends since the stock has only returned a total of 18% to shareholders over the last five years. So if you're looking for a multi-bagger, the underlying trends indicate you may have better chances elsewhere.

One more thing: We've identified 2 warning signs with Shenzhen Expressway (at least 1 which is a bit unpleasant) , and understanding these would certainly be useful.

While Shenzhen Expressway isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.